A Trip to Toowoomba

Yesterday I popped over to Lefty’s place and assisted him with the ballasting of his small diorama for a Museum Exhibit that he is making.  Following that I went around to Shelton’s and joined Anthony there for their Running Session.  We ran trains for just under two hours, while discussing various aspects of the layout and possible suggestions.  The session was completed with some very nice scones cooked by Shelton’s wife.  

 

Early this morning I picked up Lefty at about 7:25am and we headed off to Toowoomba.  We arrived at spot on 9:00am. The DDMRC were having their annual exhibition and Darren, Geoff and Grover were running Darren’s More layout and doing modelling demonstrations.  We had some very good chats, I was told to ‘move on’ at least three time by Smithy – the DDMRC President – who is one funny bugger.  While there talking to Darren and Geoff, Bazz comes up and shows off his two NSW water tanks.  Below are pictures of his round model.  These are just brilliant.  I offered to let him put the model on my layout at Murwillumbah but I think he kept not hearing me when I suggested that.  This is a brilliant model.  So is his standard square water tank which I did not photograph.

 

Bazza's water tank.

The various steps in the brick courses under the actual water tank at the top.  Just brilliant!

I think I might have to try and make one for Murwillumbah.  Chalk up another entry onto the ever lengthening 'To Do List'

 

I had plenty of great conversations with stacks of modelling mates while walking around the exhibition.  Also in attendance were my Club with the HO and N scale exhibition layouts and the Tall Timber’s Tramway also exhibited by club members and also members of the Gosford Club.  I also had a talk to the man with many hats - aka Rohan and complimented him on his great modelling work on his new layout - refer to his Blog Boliva.

 

This week has been quite full of modelling related activities.  We went around to my mate David’s place on Tuesday Night this week and we had 10 in attendance.  I shouted myself a half day on Friday and went to the shed and did a bit of train running - just completing the last few trains in the timetable so everything is ready for the next session on the 27th.  I ran the Track Tamper from Border Loop back to Old Cassino where it is now stabled in the Construction Siding.  I then ran the Container train from Clapham Yard (after running around with the triple headed engines) but it didn’t get far.  Just out of Acacia Ridge Yard, it pulled a KD from a wagon.  So I glued it back in and soon after a second came out.  I was closely examining the wagons and decided that there were two wagons that suffered from low KD tangs.  So while bending one of them up the second coupler came off from a wagon.  So I decided to leave that train there on the single track main line between Acacia Ridge Yard and Clapham Yard and let the glue dry thoroughly.  So I then ran the rail train from Kyogle Siding (again after running around the loco) back towards its destination of Clapham Yard.  However, while entering Acacia Ridge Yard - the light bulb went on.  However, some Einstein (that would be me) had left a Container train parked on the single track main line north of Acacia Ridge Yard.  So I had to leave the rail train on track one at Acacia Ridge Yard until I can move the Container train back through track two on its way to Grafton Yard.  Next task was to take the paper train from Grafton Yard to Park Road Siding.  But when I got to Kyogle I put the train to bed, as again – There was a bit of a deadlock occurring at Acacia Ridge Yard – I was thinking I might have to chastise the instigator of that mess (Oh that’s right – it was me again - so I just let him off with a warning).

 

So this arvo after getting back from Toowoomba, and mowing the grass, I went back down to the shed and spliced in a set of crossovers between track 5 and track 4 within Acacia Ridge Yard.  This meant that I had to move about 5 tracks that fanned out of track 5 in Acacia Ridge Yard.  I still want to replace one RH point with a three way point and then I will have 12 tracks emanating from track 5.  This will be a great little layout within a layout for various shunting activities.

This is a photo of the Acacia Ridge Yard area with the (at this time) 11 dead end tracks.  I moved the five left most dead end tracks to the left to allow for a cross over to be fitted and another track to the right of those last 5 tracks.

The end result with now 12 dead end tracks (sort of) in Acacia Ridge Yard.  You can see the cross over onto track 4 from track 5.  I'm still waiting on a three way point to complete the last siding.  Also at the top of the photo is the container train in two parts on the Main Line from Acacia Ridge Yard to Clapham Yard and at the bottom of the photo is the blocked rail train on track 1.  Below that is Acacia Ridge Narrow Gauge Yard.

 

I then started to lay some more track in Fisherman Islands.  Right now, I have the three Standard Gauge lines laid all the way to the point where they will fan out from the lead into the Fisherman Islands.  I think I need a narrow gauge point and I can get the whole track for the standard gauge yard complete from Dutton Park all the way to the terminus at Fisherman Islands.  I still have to power that section, and cut holes in the baseboard for the point motors and install the DS64’s to control the points.  Yes I will also need a small control panel at each end of the yard and also a staff machine to splice into the Clapham to South Brisbane Section.  I might have to slit this section in the future at Dutton Park - forming Clapham Yard to Dutton Park, and Dutton Park to Fisherman Islands, and Dutton Park to South Brisbane Interstate.

This is the head shunt end at the extremities of Fisherman's Islands.  I just need to install some dual gauge track for the head shunt, and the narrow gauge track and the dual gauge track to the left of the three standard gauge tracks you can see off into the distance.

 

I have added a couple of shots of the work on the layout undertaken over the last couple of weeks.

 

Cassino Station with ballasting completed.  I will have to start the station building soon, complete all the houses behind the platform and some detail around the back platform road.

 

The other end of Cassino Platform.  This shot also shows where the houses behind the railway line will go.  They have a piece of paper identifying the house location. 

The three way point that I spliced into the track at the northern end of Murwillumbah.  The track to the right in a small siding behind the platform.  I will store a loco here to help with shunting the Motorail wagons off the Gold Coast Motorail.

 

This show shows Fairy Lane where the cattle grids have been installed along with 100mm of ballasting on either end of the road crossing.  I will also need to run some fencing up to the grids.  Those lazy coppers has fallen over on duty again.

 

This shot shows Grafton Yard loops.  On the right of the loops are dead end tracks 8,9,10,11 and 12 which are used to store a number of small trains in the running session.  Track 13 has an old tank wagon and a CPH on it.  It is not used in the timetable.